Parkdale

[Ben Ruset]

I was just looking around on the old Beers atlas map of Camden Co. that I uploaded to the map gallery a few days ago trying to see if I could find out anything about Parkdale.

It's marked on the map as "Cranberry Park Station" so I assume that Parkdale is a newer name, and that this place was a station on the RR that led into Atsion.

I'm going to have to do some more digging on this.

 

[centralrrofnj]

From "The Trail of the Blue Comet" a History of the Central RR of New Jersey's Southern Division pub. by the West Jersey Chapter NRHS:

Parkdale - Established 1871 as Cranberry Park, name changed to Parkdale
circa 1878. Station built 1881, retired 1940.
The book also includes a great photo of the station circa 1910.

Danny

 

[BarryC]

Oh wow. Cool. I really need to read that book. I bought it as a Christmas gift to myself last year. Problem is, I've been trying to read Kate Aylesford, also a book about Bodie, California, and re-read Beck's forgotten towns books, basically all at the same time. 8) So many books, so little time...
I still need to go to Parkdale. I don't even live that far away. Thanks for the reminder.
Barry

 

[bach2yoga]

Oh wow. Cool. I really need to read that book. I bought it as a Christmas gift to myself last year. Problem is, I've been trying to read Kate Aylesford, also a book about Bodie, California, and re-read Beck's forgotten towns books, basically all at the same time. 8) So many books, so little time...
I still need to go to Parkdale. I don't even live that far away. Thanks for the reminder.
Barry

LOL, you sound like me, Barry...I have 30 or more books that I am trying to fit in, and just can't seem to find enough time! A number of them are PB books, I get a chapter here and there.

Renee

 

[Ben Ruset]

From "The Trail of the Blue Comet" a History of the Central RR of New Jersey's Southern Division pub. by the West Jersey Chapter NRHS:

Parkdale - Established 1871 as Cranberry Park, name changed to Parkdale
circa 1878. Station built 1881, retired 1940.
The book also includes a great photo of the station circa 1910.

Danny

Thanks for the info. I really need to pick up that book.

 

[BEHR655]

Ken and I have been there a few times. It's easy to get to. There is an open field there and a foundation near by. A little further down the road there is some more evidence of buildings. There is also some cultivated blueberries bushes there that have gone wild. I don't remember exactly but I think there were about 10 or so rows of them. From that area you can also get over to Maple Island.

Steve

 

[njvike]

Oh wow. Cool. I really need to read that book. I bought it as a Christmas gift to myself last year. Problem is, I've been trying to read Kate Aylesford, also a book about Bodie, California, and re-read Beck's forgotten towns books, basically all at the same time. 8) So many books, so little time...
I still need to go to Parkdale. I don't even live that far away. Thanks for the reminder.
Barry

It's a great book and costs around $60-$70 but worth it. The book lists all of the stations including the stops that were made in the Pine Barrens.

I picked up the book at the CRNJ fair they had at Jersey City but Marilyn also has several copies. You can also order from http://www.nelliebly.com/westjersey/wjbooks.htm#comet

Incidentally, the last known passenger cars of the Blue Comet are at Winslow Junction. The owner of the Southern Railroad of NJ is trying to obtain money from some historical society to restore them and place them in a museum; which one wasn't made known to me.

 

[bach2yoga]

From "The Trail of the Blue Comet" a History of the Central RR of New Jersey's Southern Division pub. by the West Jersey Chapter NRHS:

Parkdale - Established 1871 as Cranberry Park, name changed to Parkdale
circa 1878. Station built 1881, retired 1940.
The book also includes a great photo of the station circa 1910.

Danny

Thanks for the info. I really need to pick up that book.

Marilyn carries it. I'm there pretty often. It's not cheap, somewhere around $60 I think I paid for it. I can pick it up for you and you can reimburse me if you ever decide to get it.

Renee

 

[Ben Ruset]

I might be getting it for Christmas, so I'll wait and see.

 

[KenDawg]

Barry,
The entrance Behr and I take is north of Chew rd. and before you get the little dinner on Rt. 206 (is it called the Wagon Wheel ?). There is a road on your left before the guardrail and cedar swamp. The road across from the dinner is NOT the road. Does this make sense ?

 

[BarryC]

Yes it does. When I'm there it should be obvious to me.
Thanks.

Barry,
The entrance Behr and I take is north of Chew rd. and before you get the little dinner on Rt. 206 (is it called the Wagon Wheel ?). There is a road on your left before the guardrail and cedar swamp. The road across from the dinner is NOT the road. Does this make sense ?

 

[Ben Ruset]

Parkdale Pics:

http://www.njpinebarrens.com/module...ery&file=index&include=view_album.php

 

[bach2yoga]

Ken and I have been there a few times. It's easy to get to. There is an open field there and a foundation near by. A little further down the road there is some more evidence of buildings. There is also some cultivated blueberries bushes there that have gone wild. I don't remember exactly but I think there were about 10 or so rows of them. From that area you can also get over to Maple Island.

Steve

What's Maple Island? (Assuming lots of red maples because of the wetlands?) Any history, or particularly pretty? Canoe/kayak out?
Renee

 

[BEHR655]

Yes, an island of maples but not an island per se. I have not explored it very much but there are some pretty spots there.

Steve

 

[Teegate]

What's Maple Island? (Assuming lots of red maples because of the wetlands?) Any history, or particularly pretty? Canoe/kayak out?
Renee

Renee,

I actually is in between Atco and Atsion, any you can get there from across the Plastic Bridge, from 206 on Chew road, or even the White Horse Pike near Chesilhurst.


http://topozone.com/map.asp?lat=39....amp;symshow=n&datum=nad83&layer=DRG25

If you go there in the future tell me before hand, and I can tell you a few other places to visit such as the bridge with the corner stone that I have in my Then and Now photo's. Also, the Sleeper Geodetic Marker.

http://www.njpinebarrens.com/module...ery&file=index&include=view_photo.php

http://www.njpinebarrens.com/module...ery&file=index&include=view_photo.php

And if you want to do some walking I can tell you where to find one of the last remaining signs of the RR ties of the spur from Atco to Atsion.

http://www.njpinebarrens.com/~teegate/1.jpg

Guy

 

[bach2yoga]

Great, thanks!!! The railroad switch you too us to this summer--what railroad was that part of?
Renee with hands frozen from wind and rain...3 hours was enough for the little guys.

What's Maple Island? (Assuming lots of red maples because of the wetlands?) Any history, or particularly pretty? Canoe/kayak out?
Renee

Renee,

I actually is in between Atco and Atsion, any you can get there from across the Plastic Bridge, from 206 on Chew road, or even the White Horse Pike near Chesilhurst.


http://topozone.com/map.asp?lat=39....amp;symshow=n&datum=nad83&layer=DRG25

If you go there in the future tell me before hand, and I can tell you a few other places to visit such as the bridge with the corner stone that I have in my Then and Now photo's. Also, the Sleeper Geodetic Marker.

http://www.njpinebarrens.com/module...ery&file=index&include=view_photo.php

http://www.njpinebarrens.com/module...ery&file=index&include=view_photo.php

And if you want to do some walking I can tell you where to find one of the last remaining signs of the RR ties of the spur from Atco to Atsion.

http://www.njpinebarrens.com/~teegate/1.jpg

Guy

 

[Teegate]

Great, thanks!!! The railroad switch you too us to this summer--what railroad was that part of?
Renee with hands frozen from wind and rain...3 hours was enough for the little guys.

That is the JCRR between Woodmansie and Bullock.

Guy

 

[Teegate]

Renee with hands frozen from wind and rain...3 hours was enough for the little guys.

I spent many years exploring in the rain and snow which was fun then, or at least I remember it as fun, but after a while it wears on you, and I now look at it from the point of view that I want to explore without feeling miserable, wet, and cold.

Guy

 

[Ben Ruset]

Same here. I'm glad I decided to go out yesterday instead of today.

 

[bach2yoga]

Renee with hands frozen from wind and rain...3 hours was enough for the little guys.

I spent many years exploring in the rain and snow which was fun then, or at least I remember it as fun, but after a while it wears on you, and I now look at it from the point of view that I want to explore without feeling miserable, wet, and cold.

Guy

I'm sure you're right! I told Steve today that I should write on my next post that none of us today were mailmen or ducks...just nuts. 8)

Thanks for the RR info.

It was really interesting seeing the difference between our last visit, though, several weeks ago, and today, with the pilings almost covered, the dock underwater, the waves spilling over the concrete...very different. We couldn't even walk back to the actual town of Thompson's Beach because of the road flooding, so we got to see first hand why the road was closed and people removed from their homes. :? It's hard to imagine how much worse it would have been during a bad storm, with full moon and high tide on top of all of that.

Also realized there has been quite a bit of activity going on near Cumberland, and not all good.

So I am glad that we made it. It was wet and cold, but worthwhile.

Renee